Just Because We All Love Reid
by VirginsBurnAlot
Summary: All about Reid and his drug problems : Also, implied Hodge/Reid.


**I'm way too old to be writing these fanfics (19 is old). I used to be VirginsBurnAlot, back in the day, but have long since changed my e-mail address so needed to open a new account to do this. Have become hooked on this storyline and, since the writers of the show seem to be leaving it to die, I knew I had to write something like this, and achieve some sort of catharsis before my poor wittle head exploded. Catharsis reached, I can rest now (until ofcourse, they air the next episode...).**

He had learnt long ago, that when you keep your mouth shut bad things are far less likely to happen. You don't just go around broadcasting your every vulnerability to the masses. Where would Achilles of gotten, had he told every Troy soldier that if they whacked his ankle then, kaplooie, the war was over? Indeed, the amassed sum of what Reid knew about people, though he was very smart, came to just this- you shut up, you smile, and it goes ok.

So that's what he was doing. Shutting up, pretending that idea of a two hour flight in a confined space with some serious withdrawal symptoms happening, was not scaring the fuck out of him. Smiling- particularly important because him smiling would be sufficiently bizarre to distract people from the twitching, the sweating, the general nervousness... Then it goes ok... Everything just goes...

"You have any ideas?"

Oh shit, it's not going to be ok, is it? "Yeh, yeh, sorry." Reid looked up from his papers, ruffling them a little to make it look like he'd been doing something.

Morgan asked again, "Ideas?"

"Oh, yeh, course". There was an awkward pause, which seemed to last a lot longer in Reid's head than it did for the rest of the team, as they all huddled around a small card table on the plane. How he wished he had been listening, or at the very least remembered the case they were talking about. Sex crime! Random keywords came back to him now, spontaneously and most without merit. Hmmm, say something Reid... The pause went on... Ok, say anything now, doesn't have to be clever, just relevant... Not even relevant, just anything to break the silence...

Hodge did it for him. "We definitely ought to avoid confrontation though, if we can help it." He shot Reid a short, concerned but discrete glance, and continued. "I don't think this is the kind of guy that goes anywhere unarmed. Stay cautious".

The group nodded and made murmours of agreement, to which Reid joined in half heartedly, in the hopes of sounding somewhat informed.

2 hours, on a plane, with no dilaudid, no clear way out and not even the prospect of a good high when he landed. Stupid customs checks and their stupid rules... Why should a BAU agent need to be checked anyway- how fucked must the world be when you can't even trust the guys enforcing the law. What would he be smuggling onboard anyway?.. Hmm, prescription meds not prescribed to yourself, prehaps?...

He'd have to get away at some point, creep out when no one was looking and pop into the doctors. Invent a new mysterious back injury. It'd work, he'd done it before. People trusted him, and he didn't look much like a drug seeker.

Reid snuck a quick look at his reflection in the mirror. He didn't use to look like a drug seeker, but gawd, he was getting there now. Brown rings laced his eyes, little beads of sweat danced on his brow, and for the life of himself he couldn't even remember the last time he'd done something to his hair.

He turned his focus back to the group, and the important discussion which had developed into a full blown debate on the unsubs sexuality, a development which had totally gone over his head. Hodge was looking at him again- intently this time, and with much deeper concern lines marking his forehead. Hodge's gaze didn't falter, even as Reid looked up to meet him. It felt horrible, uncomfortable, as though he were an animal being watched and there was nothing he could do about it. Reid looked down, pretended to be deeply engulfed in a book infront of him, but he could still feel the blazing heat of Hodge's eyes pierce through his skull (or maybe that was a withdrawal migraine?).

Shit, Reid thought, shit shit shit. He knows.


End file.
